Silence

I occasionally take breaks from speaking to rest my voice (I am a singer by trade). They usually last from one to three days. In times like these I do utter a few (very few) words in certain situations, like to tell the butcher how much of what kind of meat I want, or to answer an important phone call. But, more often than not, I don't say a word in a whole day when I'm on one of these breaks. And they do work wonders for the voice, especially the tired, overworked voice. But they're good for other reasons too.

The less you talk, the more you listen. The more you think.

I'm writing this because I just realized how much I love those days of silence. The freshness of the voice and the depth of the thoughts. So why should I ever resume "normal" talking habits? I'm making silence part of my way of life. Starting now.

As I already mentioned, I've gone for days with almost no words uttered, so I know I won't miss useless talking. My wife already learned to understand me from expressions and gestures alone. If I have anything more complicated to explain to her, I just write it down in a few simple sentences, if that. As for my voice deteriorating from under-stimulation, I'm in no danger of that - I have only given up useless talking, not singing. Better rest between practice sessions and engagements will only make my voice stronger. And it might also make my speaking voice more like my singing voice, in the long run (which is good, since I sing better than I speak).

I highly recommend eliminating useless talking from your life. I know it's not for everybody (I think some people wouldn't be able to keep their mouth shut even for one day), but it works great for naturally introspective individuals. Loners, if you wish.

Think of the all time not wasted on idle chatter. Think of all the space your thoughts will get. Your productivity will increase by quite bit, especially if you were a very talkative person before (I was, believe me). Also, when you do decide to say something, your words will have much more weight (at least to people who know you). If you're a singer or any other kind of professional voice user, there are the voice benefits as well - mainly, the fresher, more beautiful sound and the ability to practice and perform more often.

Try it. Even if your voice is not your life. Try it for just one day. Listen. Think.